Friday, 10 January 2014

The CES that was...

While I’d like to say that I equally
appreciate the Arts, to be honest I actually think of myself more as an artist
than a scientist, I am not one to pass up an opportunity to appreciate the
diversity and milestones reached by raw science. I’ve always believed you can’t
really have one without the other, but what do I know… With that said, I bring
you the highlights of the Consumer Electronics Show that was held yesterday in
Las Vegas. While I wasn’t there in person (not like its open to the general
public, even if it was, I highly doubt I’d make it), I strongly emphasize that I
was there in spiritJ.

For those of you that have
already heard about the CES, you’re welcome. And for those who are hearing
about it for the first time, it’s basically an event that showcases the latest
improvements and inventions of household electronics. it’s held annually in Las
Vegas between the 7th and 10th of January with an
attendance that usually goes up to 150,000 people, in spite of the fact that it’s
not open to the public. It’s been around for about 50 years now, and though
mostly attended by the likes of Bill Gates, Bob Galvin, John Chambers, Michael
Dell and Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, every
once in a while you will also find the likes of Jay-z, Barrack Obama, Steven Spielberg
and other celebrities from completely unrelated areas in life. So, yes my dear,
before your beloved plasma/ PVR-DVD-VCR-DAR/Xbox/HTC Thunderbolt/GalaxyS2 was
ever on the market, this is where it was first unveiled to the public.

It’s quite exciting when you
think about it, how far the boundaries of house-hold technology are being
pushed and how much science advances annually. When you analyze the direction which
most electronics are tending towards, it hits you that the recent sci-fi movies
and all their wild concepts, the likes of Elysium and After Earth and Gravity
and Pacific Rim, are not as far-fetched as you might think… Scary, huh? Also, you
realize that Asians are going to take over the world, eventually….

This year’s CES high lights
included the first Li-Fi Smartphone that uses the sun’s waves for energy or
something like that such that you barely have to use your battery. There was
also the 77-inch Ultra HD telly from OLED and two curved tellys from Samsung. Audi
unveiled its laser diodes that are apparently going to be used for the vehicles
high-beam headlight. My personal favorites included the refrigerator that had
cameras on the inside which you could somehow correlate with your mobile
device, so that if you are shopping and aren’t sure if you’ve got enough tomatoes
at home, all you gotta do is check your phone. There was also the rice cooker
that you could activate on your way home, so that by the time you are there, your
meal is ready for consumptions; so smile ladies, we weren’t left out…